Whether the median divider that prohibits left turns out of and into Airport Liquors caused sagging sales at the Barnstable Road store may be determined early next year.The evidence will come in the performance of Luke's Super Liquors, which will open in the former Aubuchon Hardware building on the other side of the street. On Monday, the licensing authority approved the transfer of the all-alcohol package store license and location to A.J. Luke's of Hyannis, Inc.

Arthur J. Luke, who owns stores in Dennis and Harwich (his father has stores in Brewster and Yarmouth), said he hopes to have the new store open by March 1.James Norton, owner of Parker's Discount Liquors on Route 132, raised questions about the transfer. He asked whether the area needed a package store license given the limited amount of business there recently, and wondered whether the new owner could shoulder its outstanding debt after paying $290,000 for the business.

"The debt is around $11,000," Luke said, adding that he had once taken over a Dennis store that was more than $100,000 in the red.

As for the public need argument, licensing authority members agreed that such a question would be relevant if a new license were being requested,not a transfer.

In other business Monday, the authority OK'd a license for Marylou's Coffee on Route 132 in West Barnstable. The Southeastern Massachusetts chain opened its Cape beachhead in Sandwich and has now entered the Mid-Cape.

When chairman Martin Hoxie asked Marylou's operations manager Jody Murphy if the pastries served would include doughnuts, he replied, "No doughnuts. Doughnut eaters are a dying breed."

Maybe so, but later Monday the authority approved common victualer license renewals for the town's Dunkin' Donuts shops. There are nine.

A changing of the guard at the Regatta of Cotuit restaurant was approved as licenses were transferred from Brantz Bryan to Weldon Fizell. Fizell, whose experience includes a stint at Chatham Bars Inn, promised no changes in staff and hours.

The authority continues to be vexed in its attempts to address concerns about Kendrick's on North Street in Hyannis, which has been closed since a recent fire. The state Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission rejected the local board's reasons for voting a seven-day suspension of Kendrick's license, but it's unclear whether that action was final or simply a remand requiring the board to re-hear or otherwise act on the case. An ABCC spokesperson who said she needed to review the decision before commenting on that aspect still has not returned a call to the Patriot.

Kendrick's will be back before the authority at its Dec. 4 meeting.

On Oct. 30, the board approveda license transfer from the owners of the Copper Kettle restaurant on West Main Street in Hyannis to The Daily Paper. Manager Aaron Webb told members that the new restaurant, which is not part of a chain, will have a newspaper theme in its dÃ…Â½cor and menu